Laboratory mixers and shaking devices are used in a wide variety of applications related to research and in product fabrication. Most prior art shakers are integral units comprising a water vessel with a oscillating mechanism built into the vessel housing. Test tubes or other containers are placed into a water bath in the vessel and are moved in an oscillatory motion to enhance tile chemical or biological reactions of tile materials or organisms in tile container.
In general, prior art shaker water baths are sufficiently expensive that a typical laboratory cannot afford to have a wide variety of sizes of water baths for each of the possible applications. There is a need, therefore, for a portable shaker apparatus which can be used on a wide variety of water bath vessels. Such a portable shaker apparatus is provided by the present invention, discussed in greater detail below.